


Progression

by giantpanda



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-01 10:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4017070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giantpanda/pseuds/giantpanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're not the only one with nightmares."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Progression

Natasha has always had trouble sleeping. She tries to exhaust herself, but that only gets her a few hours. The Red Room had prepared her for needing little sleep, but not for the nightmares. She started walking the halls at night and always saw the light on in the lab. At first, she walked by it, but after a few nights she came to the door and watched. She could see the exhaustion in Bruce, yet he still worked. She frowned, maybe she wasn't the only one fighting nightmares. Maybe one night she would stop in to talk to him.

After two weeks of stopping at his door and watching, she decided to go in. She quietly opened the door and stood inside waiting for him to acknowledge her. Instead, he continued his work. She watched as he spread out papers on his desk, surprised he wasn't using the technology as Stark would. She wondered what was so important. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Exhaustion lined his movements. She wondered when he had last slept and questioned why she cared. Telling herself it was because of a potential code green, she slipped back from the room. 

The next night she stopped in the kitchen. She made two cups of tea and pushed aside any concerns about why. Entering the lab, she was greeted by the same sight as before. This time she spoke, "Hey big guy." He startled. She resisted the urge to smile. He slipped his glasses into his pocket. "What's wrong?" She handed him the tea. "I thought you could use a break." His eyes drifted from the cup to her eyes. She watched him closely and saw the moment he decided to accept. She moved to sit and was glad when he followed.

Soon it became a nightly occurrence. She would bring him tea forcing a break. At first, they kept to safe topics, but eventually that changed. She learned she could trust him, as he shared why he couldn't sleep - the other guy's memories haunted his dreams. "You're not the only one with nightmares," she said softly sipping at her tea. She said nothing else, not ready to share the details of her past. He held up his cup, "To banishing nightmares." He changed the topic to Stark’s latest project and she was grateful. They talked until their tea went cold.


End file.
